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Give the Dashboard to All Your Drivers

Hybrid owners often become fascinated with their cars' indicators that give them real-time feedback on their fuel efficiency. When I waited tables, I loved the immediate performance feedback that customer tips conveyed. At my gym I often wonder why programming screens on two different brand of elliptical machines record very different levels of calorie burning.

The screen shot above is from the Indianapolis Museum of Art's web site and offers a quick visual representation of the institution's performance in a few key categories. updated daily it allows anyone interested to learn the answer to that popular question, "so how are we doing?" What are the metrics that matter most for your individual or organizational performance? Do all contributors and stakeholders understand their importance? How transparently are you sharing them and is the information easy to comprehend?

It's one thing to know where you're going to. It's another to know if you are on the right track during the journey. While not all things that matter can be quantitatively measured; many can. Hence such interest in methodologies like the Balanced Scorecard and measurement systems like dashboard indicators. Particularly in uncertain times like the ones we currently navigate, concise and relevant performance indicators can provide ongoing and regular feedback that can help inform daily choices.